Hi everyone,
I’m Colourfool from Germany. Some of you may remember this project from FC, where the heater was previously known under its working name, Beacon.
What started as a single device has gradually grown into a small system — and it finally has a proper name:
Noema
Since FC is unfortunately no longer accessible, I would like to introduce the project again from the beginning.
This is not meant to be a big product announcement, and not every detail is final yet. I simply want to show what I have been working on, explain some of the decisions behind it, and share how the system has developed over time.
A hobby that got slightly out of hand
It started quietly, alongside a day job in a very different world, as a personal attempt to build a desktop vaporizer whose function I could fully understand and whose materials I could choose myself.
What seemed like a fairly simple idea at first turned into many prototypes, a lot of glass, several types of wood, different heating systems, material testing, and a surprising amount of time.
Because this is not how I make my living, I have the freedom to work slowly, discard ideas that do not feel right, and keep refining a solution until I am genuinely happy with it.
The basic idea
At the heart of the system is an electrically powered, halogen-heated convection vaporizer.
The main principles have been there from the beginning:
– a 100% all-glass air and vapor path
– no metal parts in the (hot) airpath
– a clear separation between the electrical components and the incoming air
– borosilicate glass in all functional hot areas
– wood as the housing, handle, and visual material
– a construction that is as simple and understandable as possible
– important functional parts should be replaceable by the user
Incoming air is heated by the halogen system and then drawn through the herb chamber. The device operates at low voltage and is designed for desktop use.
I am not trying to surround the actual vaporization process with as much electronics as possible.
What matters to me is the quality of the hot air, an open and controllable draw, and the use of materials I trust in these areas.
The system
Colourfool now consists of four parts with different roles:
Noema, Wisp, Cube, and Hush.
They belong together both visually and functionally, but they can be combined in different ways depending on how the system is being used.
Noema
Noema is the heater and the centre of the system.
Its former working name was Beacon. The new name comes from philosophy and, in simplified terms, refers to what is perceived or to the content of an experience.
I liked the idea that the device itself should remain somewhat in the background, while the actual experience stays at the centre.
The halogen heating system sits inside the device. The functional core is made from glass, while the outer housing is made from wood.
The outer glass inside Noema is available in several versions: violet Miron glass, which appears almost black, as well as blue, green, and brown glass. A clear version is also possible.
In principle, the different glass colours do not change the function. Together with the wood, cable, and other details, however, they give each device its own character.
It is theoretically possible that the nearly black Miron glass absorbs slightly more infrared radiation or radiant heat than the lighter versions. Whether this effect is measurable or practically relevant in such a small system is something I cannot reliably determine at this stage.
Testing only one or two devices would not provide a meaningful answer. A much larger number of units would need to be used and measured under comparable conditions over a longer period. Until then, I consider the glass colour primarily a visual choice.
For the current housings, I have also been experimenting with deeply charred and subsequently brushed wood surfaces.
The charring and brushing create a pronounced texture. This is visually interesting, but it also changes the way the device feels in the hand and reduces the amount of direct surface contact when it is held.
The wood remains untreated and is deliberately not oiled.
I am not trying to imitate a perfectly smooth and uniform industrial finish. The wood should remain recognisable as a natural material and be allowed to show its own structure.
Three drop-in herb chambers
The system currently has three interchangeable herb chambers:
– Big Bowl: 18.4 mm inner diameter
– Daily Driver: 11 mm inner diameter
– Microdoser: 9.5 mm inner diameter
The three sizes are intended to cover very different styles of use, from larger bowls to small and controlled doses.
All three chambers follow a simple drop-in design. They require no tools or threaded connections: they simply drop into place and can be lifted out again just as easily.
Changing the chamber therefore takes only a moment and does not require any modification to the heater itself.
Wisp
Wisp is the small pipe intended for direct, dry use.
The name refers to something light and fleeting — a small wisp or trace in the air.
It is designed to be compact and comfortable to hold, and to prevent Noema from feeling like a purely technical laboratory device during use.
Wisp combines a handmade wooden body with the functional glass section. The air and vapor path itself remains part of the glass system.
It is probably the most personal part of the project, because function, feel, shape, and woodworking all meet directly in such a small object.
Its outer form may appear simple at first. With something this compact, however, a difference of only a few millimetres can have a major effect.
The angle, chamber position, mouthpiece, and the areas where the pipe is naturally held all need to work together.
Wisp should not merely look good in photographs. Above all, it should feel natural and intuitive to use.
Cube
Cube connects the system to a water piece or other glass with a 14 mm ground-glass joint.
Instead of using a conventional straight glass adapter, I wanted to create a small, independent piece that clearly belongs to the rest of the system.
Cube is intended to remain functionally simple while still having a distinct shape of its own.
Wisp and Cube therefore provide two different ways of using the same heater:
directly and dry with Wisp, or through a water piece or other glass with Cube.
There is no need to change the heater or the underlying principle of the system.
Hush
Hush is the small final piece of the system.
After a session, the spent material can be removed from the chamber by blowing it into Hush. Hush catches it and prevents it from coming back out or being scattered across the table.
It is not a technically necessary part of the vaporizer.
It simply solves a small everyday task in a clean and pleasant way.
These seemingly minor routines interest me. To me, a system is not only about the moment of vaporization. It also includes how it is prepared, used, emptied, and made ready for the next session.
The name feels appropriate because Hush marks the quiet end of a session.
What matters to me in the design
I do not want Noema to look like a generic technical device that has simply been placed inside a wooden housing.
The wood, glass, cable, and visible signs of handwork are all allowed to be part of its character.
At the same time, every material decision needs to make functional sense.
Wood belongs where the device is seen and touched. Glass takes care of the hot air and vapor path.
The coloured cables are also a deliberate part of the concept.
Colourfool is not supposed to feel completely serious and technical. Precision and a certain amount of playfulness are allowed to exist alongside one another.
The outer form is not yet final in every detail. Some proportions and production steps are still evolving.
The basic principle of the system, however, is firmly established.
Modularity and compatibility
Another important point for me is that the system should not be unnecessarily closed.
The glass head and some of the dimensions are based on solutions that already exist within the community. This means that certain stems and accessories from the Nomad and Toad ecosystem (14 mm outer diameter) can also be used.
That was a deliberate decision.
I like systems that do not make every existing part obsolete and that allow users to experiment with their own combinations.
Noema should have a character of its own, but it should not exist in a completely isolated world.
Where the project currently stands
Noema is fully functional and I use it regularly.
At the same time, I still consider it an ongoing development project. Some parts are already quite advanced, while others continue to change because it often takes extended use to find out whether a solution really works.
At this stage, I do not want to promise large quantities, fixed delivery dates, or a final price.
My aim is to produce a small and carefully made series. Each set should feel like a coherent system rather than a collection of unrelated accessories.
Why I am here
FC was an important source of knowledge, inspiration, and honest feedback for me.
Many great projects did not simply appear there as finished products. You could follow their development over time, including the decisions, problems, changes of direction, and occasional dead ends.
I always appreciated that kind of open exchange.
I hope that some of it will continue here — perhaps carried over by a cool breeze from the old place.
In this thread, I will share photographs, technical details, changes, failed attempts, and progress.
Questions and critical thoughts are very welcome. When you have been working on a project alone for a long time, even a seemingly simple question can be extremely useful.
I will not always have a final answer immediately. Some things still need to be tested or reconsidered.
That is exactly what this thread is intended for.
Thank you for reading — and thank you to everyone who helped build this new forum.
Anyone who is generally interested in a set, or who might consider placing a future pre-order, is of course very welcome to get in touch. I will provide a dedicated email address for non-binding expressions of interest at a later stage.
Cheers.
… if you want to check out previous stuff and some functional videos, please follow me on IG
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